The IT marketing manager said: “This is going to cut people off - in particular the gay community from Manchester. There isn’t a gay scene in Bolton, the night life is dead, it’s dire, and a lot of people rely on Manchester. I can probably get a taxi but many aren’t that fortunate. The last bus is now before midnight - are you really going to go to Manchester for a couple of hours? What really annoys us is the lack of consultation.”

Kev Walsh, Bolton Liberal Democrat chairman and of the Bolton Bus Users Forum, said axing the service would have a ‘profoundly negative effect on people in the town’.

He added: “The simple fact is that for many people in the LGBT community in Bolton, Manchester is the place to go at the weekends.

“To take away the only public transport service available for residents of Bolton who choose to visit Manchester on a Friday or Saturday night will effectively cut the Bolton LGBT community off from the rest of Greater Manchester.”

Commuters hit too

The cut services will also hit people working late shifts in town and many may risk their safety by resorting to walking, he said.

In January 2015, TfGM, which has been forced by ‘unprecedented’ Government cuts to axe a dozen subsidised services from April, withdrew its cash support for the night services and they were taken over by First.

A First spokesman said: “Despite doing our best run these services on a purely commercial basis for over a year they are not covering the costs of operation and reluctantly.”

He said they were looking at ways to expand other services to meet demand and the new Vantage on the busway has a last service to Leigh at midnight.

A petition is calling on First, TfGM and Bolton Councils representative to TfGM to postpone the planned removal of these services until a full consultation has taken place and an alternative found. You can sign it here.